The seller of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Saab knows what he’s got—basically a Chevy Trailblazer—and he’s not shy about laying it on the line. That being said, the 9-7x was about the nicest of the GMT360 platform trucks, so maybe this one will be worth laying out some cash.
Sacre bleu! Yesterday’s Citroën 2CV6 earned a 54% Crack Pipe vote even though examples in nice condition can go for twice its asking, or even more. I guess the question was, would it cost twice that asking to make this one a nice one? Only time will tell.
Once upon a time there was a marque that went by the name of Saab, and they were, of all things, born of Jets. Now let us be clear, history is full of women who were born into nobility and then had to marry some lesser clod as part of a land deal or to ensure a fragile detente between families. Quite similarly, Saab was bought by General Motors and instead of jets they got oh-no Opels, wa-Saab-i Subarus, and as represented by today’s candidate, American Chevys.
This 2005 Saab 9-7x represents GM’s stop-gap measure to get their Swedish brand on the SUV gravy train, which it should be noted, had pretty much already left the station by ’05 and had taken most of its gravy with it.
The 9-7x is based on GM’s GMT360 platform which also underpinned the Chevy TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy, and Oldsmobile Bravada. Other cars crowding the 360’s table were the Buick Rainier and the Isuzu Ass-enter Ascender. Out of all of those, the Saab is arguably the best looking, both inside and out. YMMV.
This was one of Saab’s only AWD models and was the only version of the GMT360 not to be made optionally available in RWD-only.
The early editions of the Moraine, Ohio-built 9-7xs were powered, as this one is, by GM’s 4.2-litre DOHC straight six. That Atlas engine was good for 275-bhp and 275 lb-ft of torque and was voted to be one of the best in the world by Wards Automotive from 2002 through ‘04.
Now, I’m thinking that these engines, which were offered between 2002 and 2009 in the GMT360 series, were in fact the first OHC straight six from GM in the U.S. since the 1969 Pontiac 230. Can any of you think of another?
Anyway, back to the Saab. The seller of this metallic blue over tan interior 9-7x thinks he’ll have a better time moving it if he notes its inherent similarity to the more common Chevy TrailBlazer. That’s likely why he describes it as such in both the ad’s title and its intro. We know it’s a thick mix of Chevy underneath with a thin veneer of Saabness on top, but is that necessarily a bad thing? And yes it should be noted that it does have the key between the seats. So it is written, so it shall be.
Those seats could stand some attention, however. Well, at least the driver’s seat. It has a couple of tears in the leather and looks a little beat. The rest of the interior looks okay, although the Arby’s cup in the pics is making me call into question all of the seller’s life choices, including those made on this truck. The license plate position in back reinforces that impression.
Outside, things are a little more battle worn. There are dents on the hood—helpful fact people, car hoods are lousy places to get busy—and the bumpers have seen some action. The rest of the body is okay, and there’s a claim of no rust. There are some scratches here and there, but the headlights are mercifully un-clouded and there’s plenty of tread on the tires. A new alternator and ball joints counter the visual demerits.
There’s 185,000 miles on the clock, which would explain the torn seat and exterior scar tissue. The seller says it steers and stops without issue and runs perfect. Perfection comes at a price and in this case that’s $2,000. The seller is firm on that, and isn’t interested in any of you tire-kickers showing up to practice your weird hobby. Only serious buyers are invited.
What do you think about this kind of tired old Saab that isn’t really a Saab and that $2,000 price tag? Does that seem like a deal on an oddball vehicle that might have some good days left in it? Or, is that too much for a daily reminder of just how badly GM treated Saab before killing it?
You decide!
Pittsburgh PA Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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